Prep Boys Hoops: Hononegah Indians shoot down Boylan

But the Indians didn’t have to, beating the preseason NIC-10 boys basketball favorites 62-56 Saturday on their home floor with a steady rain of 3-pointers and free throws.

“We always talk to the guys about finding a way,” Hononegah coach Mike Miller said. “We knew their size was going to be an issue. We had to make sure we got great shots each time.

“Early, our shot selection was a little sketchy, but when we made a run, every shot we took was a wide-open shot. The guys in our locker room, if you give them wide-open shots, they are going to make them. Our guys played incredibly smart and incredibly tough.”

Hononegah (5-1, 2-0 NIC-10) made only 6 of 22 shots inside the arc (27 percent) in the first three quarters, yet still led by 10, thanks to tough defense and nine 3-pointers. That included making 6 of 9 in the third quarter when the Indians turned a one-point deficit into a 46-36 lead.

“Three-pointers will do that to you,” said Boylan’s Tony Diemer, whose 13 points tied Brock Stull for the team scoring lead. “We shut down their drives and did good in the paint, and kept doing it over and over again, but we’ve got to close out on shooters. They can all shoot.”

Jake Wilson (18 points) and point guard Gary Hedrington (13) combined for five 3s in the decisive third quarter.

“Everyone was on fire. It was contagious,” Hedrington said.

Wilson said that started with Hedrington.

“He needs to shoot more,” Wilson said. “He’s got a great shot.”

Boylan (4-2, 1-1) got as close as 49-45, but Hononegah made 11 of 12 free throws down the stretch and 19 of 21 for the game. The Indians led so comfortably that when the scorekeeper accidentally gave Hononegah an extra five points on the clock, it was Miller and the Hononegah bench that hollered to get it corrected.

“I’m not good at math, but I thought we were up eight and all of a sudden we were up 20,” Miller said.

The Indians ended up six, but that was enough for the Hononegah student section to storm center court in Boylan’s packed gym.

“There is nothing better than to walk in here and win one,” Hedrington said.

“We lost to them by one point last year and we lost to them by one in football,” Wilson said, “so this feels really good.”